Head to Iowa City Says Yahoo! Finance

By Miranda Manigold, Advertising Specialist & Sales Trainer

You know we love ALL  of our Corridor but a new addition to our family…an FM translator at ESPN1600!  So we now have 106.3 – the South Gym on the FM dial.  That way those of you listening to us in Johnson County (like the Iowa City area) can get your sports fix on 106.3FM!

Well this article from “The Street” on Yahoo! Finance backs us up on our reasons to grow in Iowa City and boasts IC as THE NUMBER ONE place to start over in 2012.  Luckily for most of us reading this blog we already live in the area!  We already know it is a great place to go to school, live, and work.  The last few weeks I have heard more reports of the business climate taking a turn for the “positive” in 2012 and this report confirms that for our area.  You can read the full article from “The Street” here.

Are you still looking for ideas on how to improve your business or recruitment efforts?  We can listen to what your goals are for 2012 and beyond and strategize concepts to get you there.  We are here to answer questions at any time.  Just ask!

Cars going bye bye!

By Kellie J. Lala

I think it is always a bit sad when something comes to an end.  A favorite body lotion, restaurant, gift shop (some on my missed list of late)  and now some models of cars.  According to a USA Today article on 12/20/11, there are many models that have rolled off the assembly line for the last time and will fade into automobile history after 2012.  These are just a few of the models taking their final bows and that will not be replaced by newer versions:

• BMW Active Hybrid  (many BMW’s are going electric)
• Buick Lucerne
• Cadillac DTS and STS  (new XTS will fill in here)
• Dodge Dakota  (no enough demand for small trucks)
• Ford Crown Victoria  (this made me laugh-“it’s the last, great, rear-wheel drive American really-full-size car”)
• Honda Element
• Mazda RX-8*
• Nissan Altima Hybrid
• Mitsubishi Eclipse and Endeavor

There could be more to come.  It appears that the whole line of Saab will soon be gone as well. 

Now think…..what do you miss that is no longer around?



Auto Sales on the Rise

By

Kellie J. Lala 

The “Cash for Clunkers” program in 2009 helped the auto industry crawl out from a slump.  However, it really hurt the sales months that followed as consumers had spent their dough $.  But November 2011 looks to be their best month since 2009!  GM is using the jolly old man himself-Santa Claus in its “Chevy’s Giving More” campaign, while Honda is wishing buyers “Happy Honda Days”.  I don’t know about you, but I must not be in the right family as I have never gotten a car for Christmas.  You? 

According to the New York based research group, The Consumer Board, consumer confidence surged in November by its biggest margin in 8 years.  That is good news for the struggling car industry.  Toyota and Honda had both been reporting year-to-year declines in every month this year since April.  The big domestic winner so far this year appears to be Chrysler with a 37% surge in sales over 2010. I think they have done a fab job with their Detroit commercials using popular music from Eminem.  Ford has a 10% climb and is launching a new Escape SUV in the first half of 2012.  According to VP of U.S. sales for GM, Don Johnson,  GM is looking at a 7% increase and will be poised to replace Toyota as the world’s largest automaker by vehicle sales.  When you think about where the U.S. Automakers were a while back, this is a great comeback story. 

What will be your next vehicle purchase and when? 

           

By Julie Hein, General Manager

Speak.
Slowly.

Whether it's in advertising to the world or communicating internally in your organization (or maybe even to your kids?), you're probably talking to fast.  It takes a while for things to sink in--but it's hard to respect that because you already understand the message.  You've already moved on, and you just want to put a checkmark next to something.  Well, I do at least.

But.  Slow. Down.  It helps.  There is enough chaos in the world.  Take the time to deliberately and convincingly share your message.  No check mark until you know it is received and understood well enough for others to act on it.

 

Good news for the Mom and Pop's

By Chris Law

Local retailers in the corridor might have something to cheer about this year.  According to this article in USA Today 4 in 10 local retailers reported stronger sales this year compared to last year.  The article also talks about ways local business can stand out and differentiate themselves from the national chains.  They key?  Maximize customer relationships and focus on what makes you different than the big box stores, not what makes you the same.

Black Friday Scam?

By Glen Gardner

CEO Glen Gardner and Associates/

Marketing consultant Z102.9 and 1600 ESPN
Any minute now, people will start pitching tents outside of big box
stores in an effort to save money, but they are operating under the
false premise that the Black Friday deals advertised are actually
in-stock in great numbers.

In my opinion, Black Friday has become more of a lottery or game of
chance, rather than a sale. If you read the fine-print in many of the
ads, the merchant has the right to limit quantities. Alright, they
should have the right because, in reality, quantities are always
limited. The problem is in some cases that number is as low as one or
two items per location. I wonder if the majority of people camped out in
front of Box-o-rama know that. Their chances of getting what they are
looking for probably aren't much better than the lottery in some cases.
Another trick that gets pulled-out of the big box retail hat this time
of the year is offering items that appear to be a great deal, but
aren't. In some cases they have contracted with brand-name suppliers to
produce a product that is cheaper than the standard product, but looks
identical. This is quite common in the electronics world. Potential
Black Friday electronics shoppers need to check the serial numbers and
item numbers carefully if they are comparison shopping. In some cases
the items are cheaper because features have been eliminated and specs
have been lowered.

As always, let the buyer beware and perhaps it's a better idea to shop
value rather than price. In most cases you really do get exactly what
you pay for and if it appears to be too good to be true, it probably is.
So rather than pitching a tent Thanksgiving night, go buy a lottery
ticket. They are both games of chance, but the lottery payoff is
potentially a lot bigger!
Happy holidays.

Gift giving season is right around the corner!

By Kellie Lala

Overall, holiday retail sales are expected to show a slight increase this year according to the National Retail Federation.  If you are a retailer hoping to gain a piece of that pie (hope its pumpkin), what have you done to put your best foot forward?  Have you planned specific events?  Special promotions?  Ramped up your advertising spending?  According to a recent USA Today article (11/14/11), small mom and pop like shops can try some of these tactics to lure in those precious dollars:

*Focus on personal service

*Playing up your community impact

*Tap into social media

*Share your green practices

*Offer localized merchandise

What can you do to set yourself apart?  Many smaller retailers typically lack the resources of their larger competitors.  They don’t have that edge on bulk orders, prime locations or huge marketing budgets.  But there are many ways to gain customer loyalty with any advertising budget you have with the right schedule and targeted message.  What will you be telling the shoppers this holiday season!  Falalalalalalala!